The community response to the school board rescinding the calendar change should cause the community to stand up and take notice! Many see this as a calendar issue, it isn’t. It’s more than that; it is about the lack of integrity in the process.

While, I am satisfied with the recent decision reversal, facts show a lack of due diligence by district leadership. Statements made to support the early start date were not accurate and a cost analysis was never done. However, this solution was supported by the district, passed swiftly by the board, without question, without scrutiny. This is not making fiscally smart decisions. The board represents the voters yet they voted against a survey of parents indicating the change was not wanted. That should concern us. What other decisions were made without due diligence?

Board President Bill Landsiedel stated that people of Laguna Beach “frankly have more than they deserve.” That is offensive to me. Am I fortunate to live here? Absolutely, but it wasn’t handed to me, it was worked for, as is true for many in the community. We chose to live in Laguna because we like that Laguna is unique and forward thinking. We like that we hold our schools to a higher standard and demand excellence from our teachers, staff, students, board and district leadership. For him to assume that the school community is unaware of how fortunate we are to be in this district is disturbing to me. His statement is pompous and doesn’t represent me. He is an elected official. Does this sit well with you?

The parents of this community should stay tuned in to what is going on, attend PTA and board meetings, volunteer, have a voice, ask questions, demand excellence. The district leadership of this community should remember, “they have more than they deserve” in a school community that gives back and works hard. The board needs to embrace the community they serve, build bridges to better communication, decision-making processes, and transparency so that together we can continue to drive this school district to excellence. Smart fiscal decisions and ideas that lead our children into the future of all educational areas, not just technology, are necessary to the well-being of our community. We work hard for our kids and our community. We demand excellence and yes, Mr. Landsiedel, it is what we deserve.